New Media and Information: For Democratization and Management

INTRODUCTION

In several ways information and communication technologies (ICTs) have changed human activities and continue to influence the way individuals have been doing and managing things. ICTs have become an integral part of human development. ¹Development and political activity are two such spheres of human activity that are greatly affected by the advent of and the access to ICTs. As a growing region in terms of connectivity, coverage and access, Africa provides a laboratory to study how ICT has been impacting on development and political activities. Studies have investigated the relationship between the influence and/or the effects of ICTs on the political life of the public. ICTs, particularly the internet, have the advantage and potential to stimulate democratic culture through citizen participation. ²Bratton, for instance, examined the way technology has been shaping civic engagement in the political sphere. ³Communication technologies, including cell phones, have turned out to be a great force in several African countries for the mobilization of civil society and advancement of democracy. In addition, cell phone use is associated with an increase in political awareness and civic engagement. ⁴Bratton’s correlational analysis showed that there has been a consistent affinity between the spread of cell phones and growth in some important dimensions of civic activism. ⁵In a study of Eritrean politics, Bernal explored the interaction between politics and new media, showing how websites can be useful to provide a space for Eritrean civil society. ⁶

There are two important themes that are explored in this essay: the use of ICTs by civil society and NGOs for the purpose of democratization and political participation of the public, and how NGOs manage information within their organizations.

NEW MEDIA AND POLITICAL PARTICIPATION

Although the title implies otherwise, at the outset Mudhai declares that his work, Civic Engagement, Digital Networks, and Political Reform in Africa, should not be perceived as one that presents generalized trends in Africa. It is not about political reforms in Africa as a whole but about two African countries, namely Kenya and Zambia. These two countries were selected due to their historical and political similarities. Both countries share commonalities due to their colonial history and their adoption of single-party politics and later multipartyism. The incumbents in presidential positions in both countries had tried to extend their terms of office by manipulating the constitution. These two countries were not characterized by failing statehood, although the state power has been abused dictatorially. The framework of the state, law and authority remained intact in both countries and there has been political continuity since they achieved independence. Additionally, they were among the more ICT and media developed countries in Africa. ⁷

Mudhai’s work deals with urban civic actors and news media. This follows the framework of Fagan ⁸, who believed that the structures in the society might be used to extend communications of consequence to the gross functioning of the political system. Influenced further by Lasswell (cited in Fagan) ⁹, Mudhai examines the processes rather than the effects and consequences of the use of the ICTs and media. The methodology adopted for the study is a combination of interviews, observations and communications conducted in the selected two countries. Mudhai’s arguments can be summarized as follows:

• • Democratization in African countries is not illusionary and the new digital media had a role in effecting the transfer of political power from a limited political elite to the public, as happened in the selected countries of Kenya and Zambia.

• • The process of democratization and the deployment of the new digital media by civic organizations are both more complex than they may appear to be.

• • The process of socio political change in Africa can be explained by using the Habermassian notion of the public sphere and their relationships for emancipatory democracy, but it has limitations in explaining the partial process of democratization.

• • ICTs, from the perspectives of civic activists...